Once you have completed your Safety and Commercial/Customer Service training ashore you will be scheduled to go on board the vessels for familiarisation training. This training will help you familiarise with layout of the specific vessel and its safety equipment. Once familiarisation is complete you will spend 3 days job shadowing with colleagues who are already established in the business, allowing you time to get used to the areas and roles you will work in.

During this period you will also undergo training on our till system.

On board,the vessel is divided into three main departments; Deck, Engine and Onboard Sales and Services.

The Master (captain) is ultimately responsible for maritime safety on board and for the deck department. Below the Captain are the Mate Master, Chief officer, 2nd mate & 3^rd Mate. They all work on the bridge, on deck you have – Bosun, Assistant Bosun, Able bodied Seaman and Efficient Deckhands. The deck crew Stena Line’s first representative when the guest drives onboard. They are also responsible for loading and unloading on car tires and maintenance work and safety rounds.

The Chief Engineer is responsible for the technical operation on board. In the engine department there is – Chief Engineer, 2^ndEngineer, 3^rd engineer,4^th Engineer, Hotel Repairman & Motorman. There is also an Electrical Systems officer.

The Onboard Sales and Service Manager (OSSM) is ultimately responsible for the OSS team. Together with department managers and supervisors, they drive all sales and service on board. Our Galley (ships kitchen) on board is led by a Head chef. 

On all vessels, in addition to the positions listed above, there are a number of different OSS roles. As a member of the OSS team, you will work in a variety of departments during your time on board.

In OSS we provide service to both our freight and travel customers. Our travel customers include families, business people, groups and lone traveller’s to name but a few. Whether they are travelling in a truck, a car or by foot, we will endeavour to provide a consistently great service for all our customers. Some may require extra assistance, and we are always ready to help whenever needed.  All our customers deserve the highest quality service and this is the goal we strive for every day.

Below is a brief description of the most common tasks within each department.

Guest Services/Hotel Roles

• Cabin cleaning – cleaning of passenger cabins and passenger spaces
• General cleaning – cleaning of passenger spaces (salons, corridors, toilets, etc.)
• Laundry handling
• Handling of deliveries 

Food and Beverage Roles (Including the Bar, Coffee House, Casual Dining, Truckers and Stena Plus)

• Food and Beverage sales and service
• Great service delivery
• Knowledge of menu and products including vegeterian/vegan and allergen information
• Replenishment of stock
• Sales including upselling and cross selling whenever possible
• Cleaning of all areas, both front and back of house

Retail Shop Roles

• Unpacking of goods
• Stock counting/replenishment
• Cleaning of the area
• Price labelling of goods
• Sales including upselling and cross selling whenever possible
• Knowledge of products
• Understanding of sales regulations including duty free customs allowances (UK-EU routes)

Galley Tasks

• Large and small galley, hot and cold galley.
• You can work in either the crew mess room or at the restaurants where our guests eat.
• Relevant education and internships are required to work in the kitchen.
• Ensuring all food produced meets the required quality and safety standards.

All the above roles are required to deliver service to the customer in line with Stena Lines Service Standards manual. For further information speak to the OSSM or refer back to the training section of this site which has the information and links for this.  

Maritime Wording;

Historically the maritime industry uses wording that is different from that used in shore based workplaces.

Example: There is no kitchen on a ship, on a ship it is called a Galley. Below we have listed typical maritime words and there shore based equivalents. You will need to  familiarise yourself with these words.

Stern/Aft – The back of a ship

Forward/Bow – Front of the vessel

Port – Left side of the vessel (Red)

Starboard – right side of the vessel (Green)

Midships – Middle of the vessel (lengthways, not by height)

Dock/Port – Geographical area the the ships sails to and from.

Cabin – Seamen’s living area

Bunk – Bed

Turn to – To rise/get up for work

Turn in – To go the bed/sleep

Scuppers – drains on board

Muster Station – Emergency meeting point where passengers and designated crew meet up in a general emergency situation. Life Jackets are usually kept in these areas. The areas are highlighted by square green and white signs with arrows pointing inwards to a symbol depicting a family group.

Drill – Training exercise held onboard utilizing varying emergency situations in order to build alertness, confidence and responsiveness to these types of situation.

Briefing – Meeting/update held by the line Manager with their department personnel.

Port/Port box – Window

Messroom – Ship’s crew dining area

Galley – Kitchen

Bulkhead – Wall

Deck – Floor

Deck head – Ceiling.